Clothes drier



1941- A. H. GERHARDT ETAL 2,251,361

CLOTHES DRIER Filed April 15, 1939' 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 IIIIIIIIIIIIr Q YEIIIIIIIIIIlI Nov. 4, 1941. A. H. GERHARDT ET AL 2,251,361

CLOTHES DRIER I Filed April 15, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS. find/em HGer/zarat John R. Beatriz ATTORNEY.

Nov. 4, 1941. A. H. GERHARDT ET AL 2,261,361

CLOTHES DRIER ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 4, 1941 CLOTHES DRIER Andrew H. Gerhardt, Chicago, and John P. Beattie, Oak Park, 111., assignors to Electric Household Utilities Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois 'Application April 15, 1939, Serial No. 267,998

8 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in clothes driers of the type adapted for domestic or household use. In the majority of commercially available driers of this type, a substantially closed chamber is employed, usually formed of sheet metal, and in which suitable heating apparatus, such as electrical, steam, or fluid fuel, is disposed. Some types of driers utilize heating apparatus in a manner for direct transmission of heat to the air surrounding the clothes to be dehydrated. In other constructions, the heating apparatus is located for indirect drying, that is, the heating apparatus is located remotely or externally of the chamber containing the clothes to be dehydrated.

Clothes driers of the general class to which the present invention pertains are provided primarily with a .view to reducing the burden usually attendant upon the carrying out of the laundering operation in the home, such as the elimination of the necessity and annoyance of stringing clothes lines either in or out-of-doors, and using of clothespins for securement of the various articles of clothing thereto, as well as elimination of the problem of properly supporting the clothes line to prevent soiling of the clothes. There are obviously many other advantages resulting from the use of the clothes drier in connection with the home laundering as, for example, weather conditions need never be taken into consideration, nor the general condition of the atmosphere where the clothes line usually is strung, nor need there be concern with respect to proper clothing of the person as is essential when clothes are to be hung on the line out-of-doors, especially during inclement weather. Furthermore, such driers also permit expeditious drying of the washed articles in a period of time materially less than that required when usually suspended in the normal manner on a clothes line, whether indoors or out-ofdoors.

Mcre specifically, the present invention is directed to improvements in a clothes drier construction of the type disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 2,156,784 issued to Joseph W. Jensen, on May 2, 1939, wherein a relatively large circulating system of air is utilized and wherein the heating apparatus is associated within the drying chamber so that the natural convection currents of the heating apparatus cause an influx of a continuous supply of fresh air for admixture with said natural convectional currents, and causes admixture to circulate around and into contact with the clothes suspended within the drying chamber for dehydration.

One of the primary objects of this invention is to produce an improved drier construction of the character indicated for obtaining a substantially uniform distribution of the heated air curall rents traveling through the chamber in which the clothes to be dehydrated are suspended, and by virtue of which the clothes to be dehydrated are subjected to a more uniform drying action.

Another object is to provide an improved drier of the character indicated, which is of simple and rugged construction and capable of em- .ciently and uniformly dehydrating the clothes within a relatively short period of time.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel form of heating apparatus for use in connection with a drier of the character indicated.

Still another object of this invention resides in, the provision of a novel form of guard for the heating apparatus and which serves to protect clothing falling to the bottom of the drying chamber from becoming damaged, such as charring, and definitely eliminates possibility of fire hazard.

Other objects and advantages of this inven-' tion will be apparent from the following description takenin connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view, in side elevation, of the clothes drier embodying our present invention, portions being broken away to show details of construction.

Fig. 2 is a plan or top view.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation with portions of the flexible covering broken away to show details of construction.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view looking down on the upper end of the frame structure.

Fig 5 is' a fragmentary, vertical, sectional view taken through the upper end of one of the end standards of the frame, as indicated at line 5-5 on Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary, end view similar to Fig. 5 showing a portion of the flexible covering in position thereon, looking from the interior of the drying chamber.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view through one of the end standards, showing the support for the free ends of the rods for supporting the clothes, taken as indicated at linel-l on Fig. 3.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary side view of the rod support shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 915 a transverse section through the opposite standard showing a fragmentary portion of the rod mounting, taken as indicated at line 99 on Fig. 1.

Fig. 10'is a vertical section through the rod mounting, taken as indicated at line Ill-l0 on Fig. 9, showing the supporting arrangement for the rods.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary view, part in elevation and part in section, taken as. indicated at line I ll l on Fig. 9, showing the rod support.

Fig. 12 is an enlarged, horizontal, sectional view taken as indicated at line l2-i2 on Fig. 1 showing the heating apparatus, part in section, and part in elevation Fig. 13 is a fragmentary, vertical section through the heating apparatus, taken as indicated at line l3-I3 on Fig. 12.

Fig. 14 is an enlarged, fragmentary, Vertical section through the lower portion of the drier. taken as indicated at line i4-l4 on Fig. 12.

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary section through the lower portion of the drier, taken as indicated at line Iii-i5 on Fig. 14.

In the illustrated embodiment of our invention, we have disclosed heating apparatus in the form of a gas burner. It will be apparent, however, that insofar as certain features of our invention are concerned, other suitable forms of heating apparatus may be employed with equal facility and with substantially equivalent; efflciency.

The novel drier construction includes an upright frame structure comprising two spacedapart uprights or standards Ill, preferably in the form of tubular members or pipes, the lower ends of which are rigidly secured in "five-way pipe fittings II by means of set screws ll. Rigidly secured by tapered pins li in a pair of opposed openings in each fitting, are a pair of oppositely extending. substantially horizontal members l2. the outer ends of which are downturned and are provided with flanged feet I! for seating upon the floor. The standards iii are rigidly connected together at their lower ends by a horizontally extending tubular member or pipe I 3 which, as hereinafter described. also constitutes the gas burner. The opposite end portions of the pipe l3 extend through a pair of aligned openings in the fittings ii and secured thereto by means of set screws II".

The upper ends of the standards are rigidly connected together by a horizontally disposed. closed loop type frame, which, as shown, is of generally rectangular form and is composed of two oppositely disposed, generally U-shaped rods I, the ends of which are formed with downturned terminal portions i5, as seen in Figs. 2, 4, and '5, adapted to be removably seated in sockets l6 secured in the upper ends of the standards In. Removably mounted within the looped frame, and in substantially horizontal alignment therewith, is a top plate or canopy ll of generally rectangular form, having its opposite ends provided with brackets l8, carrying down-turned terminal portions i8, which are also removably mounted in the upper ends of the socket l6 carried by said standards. The canopy or top l! is dimensioned so that when mounted in position on the standard, its marginal edges are disposed in spaced-apart relation to said looped frame members ll so as to define a relatively narrow, elongated opening around the entire marginal edge thereof. This opening serves as an air vent for the heated air currents emanating from within the clothes chamber, as will hereinafter be described, and the purpose of the canopy I1 is to restrict the fiow of the upwardly traveling heated air currents from within the chamber, building up the pressure within the chamber to more than atmospheric pressure and thereby assuring a more uniform distribution of heat within the chamber, which results in a more uniform drying or dehydrating of the clothes suspended therein. By virtue of this arrangement, the drying action within the chamber is not appreciably affected by various drafts within the room in which the drier is located and which would definitely aflect the uniformity of drying of the clothes within said chamber, as has been found from experience, when the canopy is omitted.

Suspended on the looped frame members H is a sheet of flexible material-in the form of a curtain, indicated at is, the upper edge of which is folded inwardly on itself and stitched thereto, as indicated at 20. to form a looped hem adapted to be threaded onto the looped frame members it by merely removing a pair'of adjacent terminal portions ii of said frame from the sockets l8 of said standards. The sheet of flexible curtain material, which may be cloth or the equivalent and preferably impregnated with fireprooflng compound, is formed so that it may be extended around the entire frame structure, thereby constituting, in eifect, a continuous vertical wall which, together with the canopy l1, forms a chamber within which the articles to be dehydrated are supported. The upper marginal edge of the curtain preferably is cut away, as indicated in'Fig. 6, to freely accommodate the terminal portions ii of the looped frame members when inserted in the sockets IS in the upper ends of the standards. Desirably, the vertical edges of the curtainterminate at one end of the drier adjacent one of the standards. as seen in Fig. 3, and said vertical edges may be secured together in any convenient manner, as herein shown. such as by conventional snap buttons 22. To gain access to the interior of the chamber, the

snap buttons are separated and one end of the natural air draft inlet for the fluid fuel burner to be hereinafter described, and for admixture with the natural convectional currents produced by the burner. It will be apparent that by virtue of the construction described, the flexible curtain I8 may be quickly and easily removed for washing or cleansing and again replaced upon the looped frame members it.

Mounted on one or the standards I 0 are one or more (two being herein shown) substantially horizontal supports 2! which, as seen in Fig. 10, are of generally tubular cross-section, each formed of two sheet metal panel sections 26 and 21 rigidly secured together, as by spot welding. The members 25 are rigidly attached, adjacent the middle of their length, to an upright or standard III, by a plurality of rivets 28. The lateral extent of these members or supports 25 approximately defines the width of the drier structure. Carried by each of these supports are a plurality of horizontally extending, transversely spaced-apart clothes supporting elements, herein shown in the form of rods 29, each having a down-turned end portion 30 iournaled in both top and bottom walls of the support 28 to provide a pivot or hinge connection, which permits said rods to be swung laterally, either singly or as a group, and it is to be understood that said hinge connection is of sufiicient rigidity to properly support the weight of the rods in substantially horizontal position. However, to assist in supporting the free ends of said rods in operating position, and for properly positioning the same to maintain a definite spaced-apart relationship to each other, we provide transversely extending supports 32 on the opposite standard ID, at approximately the same horizontal level as supports 25. Connected to each of said supports 32 is a collar 33 adapted to be rigidly secured in proper position on the standard by means of set screws 34. Said supports 32 extend approximately the same distance on opposite sides of the standards, and are each formed with a plurality of transversely spacedapart seats 36 for the free ends of the rods 29, as seen in Figs. 7 and 8. Although we have shown two tiers of horizontally extending rods 29, which serve to support the wet or moist articles which are to be dried, said rods are desirably separated to provide adequate air space between articles suspended on adjacent rods of each tier to insure adequate contact with the upwardly traveling air currents for promptly and effectively drying or dehydrating said articles.

To facilitate placing articles upon the rod or removing same therefrom, when the curtain I9 is drawn to one side, said rods may be swung laterally outward about their hinge connection to the support 25, as indicated in dotted outline in Fig. 9. To limit the amount of angular swing of the rods, and also to prevent accidental removal thereof from their pivoted mounting in the members 25, we provide a pair of locking bars 38 for each support 25. Said bars of each pair extend in opposite lateral directions and are each rigidly secured at one end to the standard "I by screws 39. Said bars each extend over onehalf of the hinged or pivoted end portions of one set of rods, as seen in Figs. 9, l0, and 11, and have their outer ends down-turned and rigidly secured to the ends of the support 25 by the screws 40. Thus, if it is necessary at any time to remove the rods 29, the bars 38 may be quickly and easily detached by the removal of the screws 39 and screws 46. As seen in the drawings, the dimensions of the bars 38 and the location of the rods 29 and the support 25 is such that the outermost rods 29 are capable of swinging about their pivoted connection to a maximum angle of approximately 30 degrees, and thus the other adjacent rods are limited in their outward swing by contacting the next outermost rod. As for example, the rod next to the outermost rod will be limited in its swing by contact with the outer rod at its maximum position of movement, and the other rods will be likewise limited.

To counteract the strains set up in the frame structure, tending to tip the same over, when a large number of rods 29 are projecting freely in an angularly outward direction, we provide a pair of upwardly extending trusses or brace bars 42 at the end of the frame structure carrying the supports 25. Said bars 42 are each secured at their lower ends by means of bolts 43 to the outer-portion of the respective members l2, constituting the foot at said end of the frame structure, as seen in Figs. 1, 3, and 15, and the upper ends of said bars converge and are rigidly attached to the upper end of the standard 16 by means of a bolt 44.

Referring now to the heating element, which as above mentioned is a gas burner, it will be noted that the burner pipe I3 is provided intermediate its length, between the standards ill, with a multiplicity of apertures 45 through which the gas is discharged under pressure and ignited. One end of the burner pipe protrudes beyond its burner fitting H and in which end is mounted a conventional form of nozzle 48, including a threaded coupling 56, for attachment to a flexible conduit (not shown). It is to be understood, however, that if desired, permanent or rigid connections may be made between the nozzle-48 and regular gas lines or pipes. opposite end of the burner pipe l3, in the fitting l I, is sealed or closed by a conventional plug (not shown). The nozzle 48 is provided with a conventional valve device ii for controlling the proportion of air to be mixed with the gas for inwith a plurality of longitudinally spaced-apart apertures 6i) through which a portion of the air draft is supplied to the burner. The sloping walls of the trough member 60 tend to prevent accidental extinguishing of the flame by sudden or severe drafts acting directly upon the flame, and also serves to assist in directing the heat currents in an upwardly direction. If desired, the interior of the guard member6ll may be coated with any suitable heat reflective material. The ends of the trough member 66 are connected to vertically disposed end brackets 6| mounted upon and supported by the burner pipe 13, as seen in Figs. 13 and 14. Mounted above and in vertically spaced relation to the burner tube l3 are baiile members '63 and 64, of rectangular oblong form, the lower baflle member being supported by bracket members which, in turn, are rigidly attached to the walls of the trough member 66, as seen in Figs. 12 and 14; while the upper bafiie 64 is connected at ends to the brackets 6|. The upper baille member 64 is in the form of an inverted pan and is of appreciably greater width than the lower bafile member 63. Mounted on the underside of the bafile member 64 is a body 66 of thermal insulating material 66, such as asbestos, and mounted between the baffle plates 63'and 64 in substantially vertical alignment with the burner pipe 13 is a vertically disposed baffle plate 61 extending upwardly from the lower baflie plate 63 and terminating in close proximity with the underside of the insulating panel 66. The function of the body 66, formed of thermal insulating material, is to reduce the temperature of the bailie 64, and thereby reduce the possibility of lint falling on said baffle from catching fire. Said baffle 61 is rigidly secured in position by means of bracket clips 68 rigidly attached, such as by spot welding, to the upper surface of the lower baffle member 63. The side marginal edges of the upper baflle member 64 are provided with downwardly depending bafl'le plates 10 which extend downwardly a distance substantially below the upper marginal edge of the vertical baille 61 and occupy the major central portion of the length of the upper baflle member 64, as seen in Fig. 1 of the drawings. By virtue of the construction described, the trough member 66 together with baille plates 63, 64, and 61 being rigidly connected to supporting brackets 6|, become in effect a unitary structure and are maintained in proper position by means of a pair of braces 12 at opposite ends of the drier structure, which braces are connected-by bolts 12 to the opposite portions of the ends of the upper baflie member 64 and by bolts 43 at one end and by similarly located bolts at the opposite end, to the outer portions of the oppositely extending members l2 constituting the base support for the frame structure, as may be The the drier is located, and thus assures a relatively uniform movement of heated air currents in an upwardly direction through the drying chamber and thus producing a substantially uniform dehydrating action upon the clothes suspended upon the rods within the drying chamber.

In order to insure against possible damage to articles which may inadvertently fall from the supporting rods to the bottom of the chamber and for purposes'of safety so as to avoid charring and possibility of fire hazard, we employ a boxlike guard structure completely surrounding the heating apparatus. This box-like structure is comprised of two imperforate sheet metal end panels 80, which are secured by the bolts 43, and

similar bolts (not shown) at opposite end of the structure, to the members l2 constituting the foot of the frame structure and by means of bolts M to the standards It). Said end panels 88 are connected by side walls 82 formed of reticulated sheet metal to each of which side walls is secured an elongated panel 88 of imperforate material in substantially horizontal alignment with the discharge openings of heating apparatus defined by the lower edge of the bafiies 10 and the upper edge of the trough-like member 80, so as to further guard against drafts having a deleterious effect upon the heating apparatus.

The ends and sides of the guard structure are connected to a bottom panel 85 of imperforate sheet metal disposed below the burner proper, and which serves as a further safeguard to preclude the possibility of any ignitible matter resulting from the burner apparatus from coming into contact with the floor, such as ignited particles of dust and lint from the clothes suspended in the drier chamber, or from excessive heat of the burner ignited matter on the fioor. The upper part of the box-like guard structure is in the form of a reticulated panel 81 hingedly connected at one edge to one of the side walls 82 so that said panel 81 may function as a cover to be conveniently raised to afford access to the burner apparatus for purpose of cleansing, etc. The horizontal dimensions of the box-like guard correspond to distance betweenthe standards l and to the length of the rod support members 25. Thus, if accidentally substantially the entire area of the top 81 of the box guard becomes covered by articles falling from the rods or by being inadvertently placed thereon, excessive heat will be permitted to escape through the reticulated side walls 82 and thus preclude concentration of heat, which might result in charring or igniting the articles resting upon the cover surface 81,

and further precludes the cutting off of adequate supply of air for maintenance of the combustion of the gas in the burner pipe II.

It will be noted that in the construction disclosed, the flexible curtan I8 is dimensioned so that its lower edge terminates a short distance below the upper edge of the box-like guard structure, to insure adaquate infiux of air through the reticulated side walls 82 for combustion and for admixture with the heated air produced by the burner apparatus for passage upwardly through the chamber for effecting dehydration of the articles suspended on the rods therein. As above mentioned, by virtue of the canopy II at the upper end ofthe drier structure, there results'a restriction upon the draft discharging from the drying chamber, which results in building up of a back pressure or pressure in excess of atmospheric pressure within the drying chamber, tending to bellow out the side and end walls of the curtain l 9, thereby assuring a uniform and unrestricted maximum capacity of 'bodily movement of air currents within the chamber proper.

Although we have herein shown and described 7 a preferred embodiment of our invention, manlfestly it is capable of modification and rearrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. As for example, relatively rigid sheet material may be employed in lieu of flexible curtain l9, insofar as certain novel features of this invention are concerned, or the canopy I! may be of perforated form and dimensioned to substantially occupy the entire area defined by the looped frame members H, or electric or other heating means may be employed in lieu of the gas burner. We do not, therefore. wish to be understood as limiting this invention to the precise form herein disclosed, except as it may be so limited in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a clothes drier of the type utilizing a relatively large circulatory system of air, the combination of an upright frame, a heating element ,carried by the frame adjacent the floor, means carried on the frame, above the heating element. for supporting articles to be dehydrated, means supported on the frame and forming a lateralwall around said frame to provide a chamber for enclosing said article supporting means. and providing for infiux of air adjacent the fioor, and means carried on the upper end of the frame and constituting a top for the chamber, said top comprising an imperforate sheet of material so dimensioned with respect to the upper end of the chamber formed by said wall to provide an elongated vent of substantially uniform size around the entire marginal edges of said imperforate sheet to restrict the air draft for obtaining substantially uniform distribution of upwardly traveling heated air currents within the chamber.

2. In a clothes drier of the type utilizing a relatively large circulatory system of air, the combination of an upright frame, a heating element carried by the frame adjacent the floor, means carried on the frame, above the heating element, for supporting articles to be dehydrated. a sheet of flexible material supported at its upper edge on the upper portion of the frame and normally suspended in vertical position to provide a chamber enclosing said article supporting means, said sheet of material being dimensioned so that at least a portion of its lower edge terminates a substantial distance above the fioor to provide for influx of a continuous draft of air, and means carried on the upper end of the frame and con stituting a top for the chamber, said top comprising an imperforate sheet of material so dimensioned with respect to the upper end of the chamber formed by said sheet of flexible material to provide an elongated vent of substantially uniform size around the entire marginal edges of saidimperforate sheet to restrict the air draft for obtaining substantially uniform distribution of upwardly traveling heated air currents within the chamber.

3. In a clothes drier of the type utilizing a relatively large circulatory system of air, the combination of an upright frame structure ineluding a pair of spaced-apart upright standards and a horizontally disposed closed loop connected to the upper ends of said standards; a heating element carried by the frame adjacent the floor, means carried on the frame, above the heatin element, for supporting articles to be dehydrated. a sheet of flexible material supported at its upper edge on said loop portion of the frame and normally suspended in vertical position to provide a chamber enclosing said article supporting means, said sheet of material being dimensioned so that at least a portion of its lower edge terminates a substantial distance above the floor to provide for influx of a continuous draft of air, and an imperforate plate supported at opposite ends on the upper ends of said standards and dimensioned with respect to the upper end of the chamber formed by said sheet of flexible material to form an elongated vent of substantially uniform size around the entire marginal edges of said imperi'orate sheet to restrict the air draft for obtaining substantially uniform distribution of 'upwardly traveling heated air currents within the chamber.

4. In a clothes drier of the type utilizing a relatively large circulatory system of air, the combination of an upright frame, including a pair of spaced-apart upright standards, a fluid fuel burner in the form of an elongated tube connected at its ends to the respective standards adjacent the floor and serving as a tie and brace for said standards, an elongated, trough-like, guard plate disposed below the tube and having its marginal upturned edges terminating above the tube, a pair of vertically spaced-apart horizontally disposed elongated baffle plates mounted above and parallel to said burner tube, a vertically disposed elongated baffle plate mounted between said baflle plates, substantially coextensive with the effective portion of said burner tube,

. means carried on the frame above said baflle plates for supporting articles to be dehydrated, and means constituting a lateral wall around said frame, for enclosing said article suppor in means and formed to provide for influx of a continuous draft of air adjacent the floor.

5. In a clothes drier of the type utilizing a relatively large circulatory system of air, the combination of an upright frame, including a pair of spaced-apart upright standards, a fluid fuel burner in the form of an elongated tube connected at its ends to the respective standards adjacent the floor and serving as a tie and brace for said standards, an elongated, troughlike, guard plate disposed below the tube and having its marginal upturned edges terminating above the tube, a pair of vertically spacedapart horizontally disposed elongated baffle plates mounted above and parallel to said burner tube, a panel of thermal insulating material secured to the underside of the upper baifle plate, a vertically disposed elongated bafiie plate mounted between said bailie plates, substantially coextensive with the eflective portion of said burner tube, means carried on the frame above'said 'baflle plates for supporting articles to be de- I floor.

6. In a clothes drier of the type utilizing a relatively large circulatory system of air, the combination of an upright frame, including a pair of spaced-apart upright standards, .a fluid fuel burner in the form of an elongated tube connected at its ends to the respective standards adjacent the floor and serving as a tie and brace for said standards, an elongated, trough-like, guard plate disposed below the tube and having its marginal upturned edges terminating above the tube, a pair of vertically spaced-apart horizontally disposed elongated baflie plates mounted above. and parallel to said burner tube, the upper baflle being greater in width than the lower baflie and having vertically depending baiile plates at marginal side edges, a Vertically disposed elongated baflle plate mounted between said baflie plates, substantially coextensive with the effective portion of said burner tube, said vertical baflle terminating at its upper edge above the lower edge of said depending baflle plates, means carried on the frame above said baflle plates for supporting articles to be dehydrated, and means constituting a lateral wall around said frame, for enclosing said article supporting means and formed to provide for influx of a continuous draft of air adjacent the floor.

7. In a clothes drier of the type utilizing a relatively large circulatory system of air, the combination of an upright frame, including a pair of spaced-apart upright standards, a fluid fuel burner in the form of an elongated tube connected at its ends to the respective standards adjacent the floor and serving as a tie and brace for said standards, a box-like guard structure, supported by the frame and enclosing said burner tube and including a reticulated flat top, corresponding to the width of the drier, contiguous depending sides having a reticulated portion adjacent the floor to provide for influx of a continuous draft of air, and an imperforate bottom wall, and means supported on the frame and forming a lateral wall to enclose said article supporting means, the lower edge of said wall means terminating above a portion of the reticulated sides of said guard structure.

8. In a clothes drier of the type utilizing a relatively large circulatory system of air, the combination of an upright frame, including a pair of spaced-apart upright standards, a fluid fuel burner in the form of an elongated tubev connected at its ends to the respective standards adjacent the floor and serving as a tie and brace for said standards, a box-like guard structure, supported by the frame and enclosing said burner tube and including a reticulated flap top, corresponding to the width of the drier,

contiguous depending sides having a reticulated portion adjacent the floor to provide for influx of a continuous draft of air, and an imperforate bottom wall, said top being hinged at one edge to form a cover to afford access to the burner tube, and means supported on the frame and forming a lateral wall to enclose said article supporting means. the lower edge of said lateral wall means terminating above a portion of the reticulated sides of said guard structure.

ANDREW H. 'GERHARDT. JOI-l'N P. BEATTIE. 

